Egypt prepares to discover mysteries of Pyramids – Xinhua

CAIRO, October 25 (Xinhua) – The Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt today launched the “Scan Pyramids” project in an attempt to discover more secrets of architecture and internal design of the giant stone monuments

“That mystery has 4,500 years old does not mean it can not be resolved,” said Minister of Antiquities of Egypt, Mamdouh Eldamaty.

The project, which will begin in November, is to investigate the heart of the largest pyramids of Egypt, unperforated in the least, Eldamaty said in an international press conference.

Using new scanning techniques could be explored new rooms, corridors, cavities or passages that answer many questions about the construction of the Pyramids, Eldamaty added.

The research is a joint venture of Japan and Egypt in collaboration with a consortium of the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University as well as the Institute for Innovation, Conservation and Heritage in France.

X-ray muons, cosmic particles aka, infrared thermography, fotogrametrías, scans and three-dimensional reconstructions (3D) will be the most innovative technologies to be used by researchers.

Four millennia after its construction, these ancient giants are far from revealing their secrets.

The first mystery concerns its construction, especially that of Cheops, the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world that still remains: it is still impossible to describe with certainty how this stone monument, the largest built by humans rose

Another mystery is the internal structure of the pyramids. .

Several explorations in the past, with less sophisticated than today’s media, have captured images that might not correspond to the hidden cameras, said Hany Helal, professor of Engineering at Cairo University and coordinator Overall the project.

The mission will study the pyramid south, called the bell, and the Pyramid North, called the Red, both built by Sneferu (2575-2551 BC)

Gaza on the plateau about 20 kilometers from Cairo, the mission will study the pyramids of Cheops and Chephren, both built by the son and grandson of Seneferu.

“They have proposed many hypothetical theories, either to explain its construction or structural abnormalities, but physicists and engineers are not archaeologists, “Helal said.

The coordinator added that” our goal is to use techniques to achieve concrete results, then the Egyptologists will perform “.

non-destructive technologies will be implemented, said Kunihiro Morishima of Nagoya University.

Cosmic rays are immense high-energy radiation, mainly originated outside the solar system, and and are used by the Japanese for early detection of volcanoes erupting or earthquakes, said Morishima.

Mehdi Tayoubi, professor at the Institute of Innovation Institute, Conservation and Heritage of France, said that “our desire is form a team of international experts to discuss and address the theoretical and technological relationship with the archaeological field approaches. “

Tayoubi insisted that” our goal is to make our contribution and prepare, with humility, the way to future scientific research missions. “

The mission will end in late 2016.

The Egyptian minister designated 2016 as the” Year of the Pyramids “.

Eldamaty added that the techniques of the new mission will also be used in the review of the tomb of Tutankhamun to find out if there are more rooms behind it.